Three more firms seek power licences

power stations with a combined capacity for 125 megawatts.
The firms are Nyangani Renewable Energy (Private) Limited, Manako Power (Private) Limited and China Africa Sunlight Energy (Private) Limited.
China Africa Sunlight will have the biggest electricity output at 120MW while Manako and Nyangani will produce 2,5MW and 3,8MW respectively.
Manako and Nyangani’s power projects in Manicaland will be mini-hydro power generation plants while China Africa Sunlight’s will be a coal-fired plant.
“Any person desiring to make representations on these applications as advertised may within 14 days from the last day of publication lodge written representation with the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority,” said Zera.
Zera is the new legal entity regulating the petroleum, electricity and all other forms of energy sectors, bringing uniformity to regulation of the industry. The new regulatory authority succeeded the Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Commission, which ceased operations in September this year.
Zera recently said the Energy Regulatory Authority Act Chapter 13:23 Number 3/2002 would be read together with the Electricity Act Chapter 13:19-4/2002 and the Petroleum Act Chapter 13:22 number 11/2006. More than 13 independent power producers have been given licences, but none has yet started building a station despite a nationwide power crisis.
Zimbabwe requires 2 200MW, but is only able to generate 1 200MW and power utility Zesa resorts to cutting supplies to balance with demand. The country has to augment locally produced electricity with imports from Hydro-Cahora Bassa of Mozambique, Zesco of Zambia and Snel of DRC.
But this has been problematic due to the shortage of electricity gripping the region and only Mozambique is able to give Zimbabwe guaranteed supplies.
To address the power shortage, the Government is pursuing a number of projects, including the Sengwa Power Station (Gokwe) and the Batoka hydropower project between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Plans are also afoot to develop the Lupane coal bed methane gas project, which has the potential to bring to the national power grid an additional 300MW.
There were plans to jointly develop with Zambia the Batoka hydropower project on the Zambezi River, but it has emerged the project is not in Zambia’s immediate plans.
This project could generate 1 600MW, but has problems over former Central Africa Power Corporation assets shared during the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The utility was dismantled when the respective countries gained independence.
But immediate plans revolve around the expansion of Hwange Thermal Power Station’s Units 7 and 8, which would bring 600MW on the national grid, while Kariba South would add about 300MW.